MRI shows a bone bruise in Yves Missi’s left knee, and the Pelicans rule him out in Denver with no timeline

An MRI has confirmed a bone bruise in Yves Missi‘s left knee, the New Orleans Pelicans announced on Saturday, October 24, and the third-year center has been ruled out of Saturday night’s game in Denver. The team did not attach a return date, saying only that it would share more as appropriate.

The diagnosis is about as good as New Orleans could have hoped for after Friday night. Missi hyperextended the knee midway through the second quarter of the 120-119 loss in Salt Lake City, when Zion Williamson landed on his leg after a blocked shot. He could not put weight on the leg and had to be helped to the locker room, so a bruise rather than ligament damage counts as a relief, even without a timeline.

What the Pelicans lose

Missi had opened the season in form. In the 123-120 home loss to Indiana on Tuesday, he went 5-for-6 from the field for 13 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in just under 30 minutes. He had 6 points in 9 minutes at Utah before he went down.

That production leaves a gap in the middle for a team that is 0-2, with both defeats decided by one possession. Coach Jamahl Mosley said after Friday’s game that Derik Queen is next in line to start at center, and Karlo Matkovic is among the players who could pick up extra minutes. Queen has already handled a heavy load: he played 29 minutes at the position in Utah after Missi left, and he posted 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the opener.

The league’s official injury report for Saturday lists Missi as out with a left knee contusion and bone bruise. Every other Pelicans status for the night is on our NBA injury report page.

What comes next

New Orleans plays the Nuggets at Ball Arena on Saturday, October 24, at 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Sunday in Cairo), with Denver also short a starter after Cam Johnson’s ankle sprain. The two teams meet again on Wednesday, October 28, at 8 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center, the next chance for Missi to return if the bruise settles quickly. Follow both games in the Game Center: Pelicans at Nuggets and Nuggets at Pelicans.